Media Round-Up: Liverpool 2 - Manchester United 0

What a difference a day makes! Today's round up of media talk is an interesting mixed bag of reviews. Having spent most of the week sharpening the guillotine in preparation of our managers execution, Rafa's critics had their hopes dashed after his team deservedly beat Manchester United. Not surprisingly some journalists appear to think Rafa has somehow done a deal with the devil and his execution has just been postponed, much to their annoyance. One would think that Rafa was responsible for war crimes such was their urgency to depose of the Anfield boss.

The Telegraph

The chances of Rafa Benítez cracking a smile are as likely as Gary Neville being invited to turn on the Christmas lights in Penny Lane or Nemanja Vidic ever finishing one of these games. Impassive throughout, Liverpool’s manager should really have allowed himself a little grin after this richly-deserved, pressure-releasing triumph over Manchester United. He’d earned it.

This was Liverpool’s day from the moment the Kop brilliantly mocked the few beach-balls flying out from the United corner with hundreds of their own, from the moment the hairs on the back of local necks stood up in salute of a powerful rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone.

For all the talk of Benítez’s bad buys and the manager’s cold character, yesterday showed that with leaders like Carragher around, Liverpool must always be respected.

As he warmed up along the touchline, Neville kept lecturing the linesman in-between goading lippy Liverpool fans. Mike Phelan, Ferguson’s No 2, eventually had to bring the club’s stroppy No 2 back into the dug-out. Neville’s behaviour was disgraceful. No one expected anything else.

United’s keeper had no chance when Liverpool, palpably the better, hungrier side, came calling in the 65th minute. The ball flew from Kuyt to Yossi Benayoun to Torres, who was hurtling down the inside-right channel, pursued by Rio Ferdinand. United’s centre-half could not live with the pace and determination of Torres’s run, nor Van der Sar cope with the speed of the Spaniard’s shot, which arrowed past him into the roof of the net as Kopites raised their own roof.

The Guardian has an: 'Victory over Manchester United gives Rafael Benítez some breathing space', however the actual story doesn't live up to it's exploitational tag line, but does say: "victory over Manchester United rescued the Anfield club's season." Elsewhere the paper says:

United were merely 1-0 down when Sir Alex Ferguson sent on Michael Owen against his former club. With 10 minutes left, the striker was brought down by Carragher. It could have been a straight red card for the centre-back, but the referee, Andre Marriner, settled for a caution, presumably because he had some suspicion that Owen had not been heading straight for the target.

Liverpool can allow themselves a few moments when their minds are occupied by no more than a glow of satisfaction. The side was neither distracted nor apprehensive. That air of purpose could be sensed in the early exchanges when Fábio Aurélio's free-kick demanded an alert response from Edwin van der Sar. It is unarguable that Liverpool should be gauged by their efforts over a period far longer than that of an afternoon, but Benítez should enjoy a respite after getting most calculations correct against United.

The Times

After a week in which his regime has been questioned like never before — although not within the club, where his relationship with the board is infinitely healthier than two years ago — Benítez was entitled to enjoy this.

Ferguson complained afterwards about his team’s lack of penetration. He was brave to do so, since it gave rise to all manner of awkward questions. The dissenting grumbles had been kept to a minimum in the previous 11 matches — ten wins and one draw since that surprise defeat by Burnley in the opening week of the season — but they do not look the same side without Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Independent's review of the match reads more like a character assassination of the manager, with the headline:

'Torres picks the lock for Benitez's latest escape'

English football's great managerial escapologist once again picked the lock on the chains around him with a win that turned Liverpool's rapidly diminishing season upon its head.

Of course, the problems that afflicted Liverpool through the four defeats that preceded this game do not go away with one sweep of Torres' boot. Benitez has still made a lot of bad signings and is still prone to bizarre decisions, but yesterday he re-affirmed to the club's owners and his adoring fans the old Benitez mystique.

The result left Anfield the happiest dysfunctional family you will ever see. The day began with the protest march against owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett before the game; it ended with a directors' box full of middle-aged American blokes in suits exchanging embarrassing high-fives. In the Kop and around the ground, the divisions were put aside to focus on one common enemy.

Ferguson conceded that Liverpool deserved their victory, which was remarkable given that he did not even go that far when Liverpool won 4-1 at Old Trafford last season. Maybe he senses that for all the sound and fury around Liverpool yesterday, they are still a long way from title contenders.

The Mail

Not until the team were on the bus en route to the stadium did Benitez decide to risk Torres for this match, and how relieved he must be that he made that call. No other striker in Liverpool's squad would have scored the 64th-minute goal that ignited this contest.

No other striker would have possessed the speed, strength, composure and skill first to hold off the challenge of Rio Ferdinand and then to unleash the shot that flew beyond the reach of Edwin van der Sar and into the roof of the United net.

It was a wonderful example of why Torres is among the finest forwards in the world, and all the more remarkable for the fact that the Spaniard was not even fit. Not only had he hardly trained but he needed a painkilling injection just to get on the field.

His goal amounted to an adrenaline shot for Liverpool; a goal that revitalised a team who appeared to be on their knees after four straight defeats, and a goal that shifted the focus away from Anfield and back to Old Trafford.

It is no longer the durability of Jamie Carragher that is a concern but that of Ferdinand; no longer how Liverpool will respond to a morale-sapping defeat but how United will.

The Mirror

This was the day the title race was supposed to be reduced to a two-horse race, the day that Liverpool were exposed as feckless challengers whose hopes would be over for another season.

Instead, that ridiculously premature premise was exposed as the nonsense it most patently is, in what will surely be one of the most open, exciting and unpredictable Premier League contests in recent years. Two challengers? There could be six.

Rafael Benitez entered this game under so much pressure that his job was supposed to be on the line. At the end, with deafening adulation washing down the banks of the Anfield terraces, he was praised, not buried, as his side put on the sort of display required to reaffirm their elevated aspirations.

It was Manchester United, not the home team, who left unanswered some serious questions about their form and character, as they buckled under a second-half barrage inspired by rabid support of their side from a wide-eyed Kop.

In essence, this was a defining moment in the season, in the sense that it illustrated nothing can be defined so early. United have now lost twice already before the end of October, as have Chelsea, and both could easily have dropped more points.

There was still time for Vidic to be dismissed for a second - undebatable - yellow, and indeed he could have gone earlier for some unsavoury treatment of Torres, and Mascherano soon followed, again for two rash challenges conjured from the emotion of the occasion.

Benitez’s men added a second deep into a ridiculous five-minute stoppage time, when the tireless Kuyt cleverly held on until Lucas could eventually send sub David Ngog away to convert with no pressure, and from being out of the title race, Liverpool had their redemption and resurrection in one, magnificent moment.

Liverpool Physio has England role blocked by United

Manchester United have "blocked the proposed promotion of a Liverpool physiotherapist to work with the England team in a move that demonstrates the distrust that exists between the country’s top clubs," reports the Times.

Reds football physiotherapist Dave Galley, who has more than 25 years’ experience had expected to be part of the England medical staff for the friendly against Slovenia on September 5 and the World Cup qualifier with Croatia four days later.

However Galley has now reverted back to his previous role with the England Under-21 squad after what the Times says "the intervention of David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive," and "Liverpool are understood to be far from impressed with the situation."

A policy designed to ensure that only independent medical staff are appointed to work with the national team introduced by the FA last year, had "raised concerns about a rival club’s physiotherapist having access to valuable information about the fitness of players from other team’s."

Strangely United don't appear bothered by the current physiotherapist Gary Lewin appointed in August last year, and full time doctor Ian Beasley. "Both had previously worked for the FA on a part-time basis with their regular employment being provided by Arsenal," says the report.

Now Galley has returned to his role with the under 21 squad after Gill questioned "the wisdom of the appointment of Galley to work with Fabio Capello’s squad and the FA backed his opinion."

The FA say: “Dave has reverted back to the Under-21s after one game.” said an FA spokesman. “There should be no questions against his professionalism, We must be clear that there is an agreed board policy that has nothing to do with Manchester United that the medical staff should be independent.

“Franco Baldini (Capello’s general manager) and Rafael Benítez (the Liverpool manager) discussed the matter yesterday and it was explained we wanted to see Dave working with the team in the friendly this month. We refute any suggestion that we have been pressurised by Manchester United.”

Owen signing for United the final insult for a player intent on pursuing his International career

Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen has signed a two year deal with Manchester United. This site was running the story on Thursday after bookmakers slashed their odds on the move amid claims that tentative talks had taken place.

Owen speaking about the move to the Telegraph said: “I had just begun to talk to other clubs when out of the blue Sir Alex phoned me on Wednesday afternoon and invited me to have breakfast with him the next morning, during which he told me he wanted to sign me. I agreed without a moment’s thought."

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and I intend to seize it with both hands. I am looking forward to being a Manchester United player. I want to thank Sir Alex for the faith he has shown in me and I give him my assurance I will repay him with goals and performances.”

The former Liverpool player is said to have undergone a series of medical tests before United were convinced of the players fitness. Owen passed a test on his problematic knee in London on Thursday, with further tests at Carrington on Friday morning. The striker then travelled to Bridgewater Hospital, in Manchester city centre, for a full medical examination. The Telegraph reports: “the formalities of the deal, which is believed to be worth a basic salary of around £30,000-a-week, were concluded on Friday evening.”

The move to Liverpool’s bitter rivals is for many Kopite’s, the final insult for a player intent on pursuing his England and personal goals. Speaking about his move to Real Madrid from Liverpool, Owen said: “It is a step forward to me. To play in Real is something more. I hope this change will take me a bit further ahead in my career.”

His move back to England to join Newcastle a year later was seen as some as a way to kick starting his England career with a world Cup looming the following summer. Once again Owen is in the international wilderness, with Fabio Capello refusing to play the former Liverpool hero. A move to Manchester United will certainly boost his profile with the England boss.

Torres to United? Best joke story of the day!

Transfer speculation from the press plummeted new depths today, with the Express running a laughable work of fiction its attempting to pass as a serious sports article. The paper states Manchester United are on the verge of a ‘shock £40m bid’ for Liverpool’s Fernando Torres. I did consider not even allowing this ridiculous story any space on this site, however the yarn by journalist John Richardson is worth a read for it’s comedic value and sheer audacity. Possibly the papers are attempting to top the barmy real life stories created by Ronaldo and Kaka moving to the Bernabéu this week?

It does highlight quite clearly the ridiculous depths to which story starved journalists will go and adds reason to why Liverpool Football Club found it necessary to release a statement this afternoon regarding Alonso and Mascherano.

We were watching

Echo journalist Tony Barrett wrote an amusing article at the weekend entitled: “Were we watching Man Utd's thrashing by Barcelona? How could we miss it!” It goes on to say: Barcelona played United the team, not United the reputation and won with ease, just as Liverpool did at Old Trafford”, and “For the first time in recent weeks, the United fans did not sing Are You Watching Merseyside? Funny that because Merseyside was watching” and he suggests “If £6m Brazilian Lucas ever performed as badly in a major game as £18m Brazilian Anderson he would have been hounded all the way back to Brazil.”

The piece also asks a rather interesting question: “Why did the British media not ask Alex Ferguson to congratulate his opposing and victorious manager? Do such forced niceties only apply to Rafa Benitez?”